1. Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with waterproof, multicontact electrical connectors for interconnecting, mechanically and electrically, the respective sections of a seismic streamer cable.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A typical seismic streamer cable used for geophysical exploration in a marine environment consists of up to fifty individual sections, each about 200 to 300 feet long. Each section consists of a cylindrical plastic jacket that encloses a plurality of hydrophones and other sensors. The electrical output signals from the sensors are transmitted to signal utilization equipment aboard a mother ship through electrical conductors. There may be several hundred such conductors. One or more stress members, usually of steel, are threaded through the jacket to take up towing stress. The jacket is filled with a buoyant fluid so that the entire assembly is neutrally buoyant in the water.
In use, the mother ship tows the streamer cable through the water at about four to six knots. Periodically a sound source is fired to generate sound waves which are reflected from sub-bottom earth layers. The reflected sound waves are detected by the hydrophones whose output signals are processed by the signal utilization device.
Suitable cable-section connectors are required to have a number of attributes. Of course, they must be waterproof. They must be able to accommodate at least two to three hundred or more wires yet remain of a seasonable physical size so that the connector will not generate noise due to towing turbulance. When under tow, the connectors must survive a mechanical tensional load in excess of 14000 pounds.
For maintenance purposes, the mating halves of a connector must be easily mated or demated. Because of the large number of individual electrical contacts, the mating/demating force may be in excess of 200 pounds. Therefore means must be provided to separate or connect a pair of mating connnectors without undue strain on the part of the operator in the field or damage to the connector plug housings.
There are a number of marine seismic cable connectors commercially available. Typical of such connectors are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,455 issued May 21, 1974 to Ray Pearson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,188 issued May 20, 1980 to Helmut Weichart et al. A somewhat different type of connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,211, issued Apr. 7, 1981 to John Mollere.
It is a purpose of this invention to provide a seismic marine cable connector that creates a minimal amount of turbulent noise under tow, that has the mechanical strength to withstand not only steady-state towing tension but jerk forces as well. The connector must be of simple construction; it must be easy to asssemble and disassembled in the field for maintenance purposes.